Page 14 of The Talk Around Town

She dressed quickly in plain underwear, denim shorts and a T-shirt.

That should do it. Nice and boring. No dancing girl in sight.

Emma walked toward her kitchen, dreading the upcoming explanation. Gabe had his back to her, doing something at the sink. A strange noise came from him. She moved around to his left, realising he had a fork and was whisking something in a mug.

She came closer. He glanced up at her, noticing her presence.

“Hey. Just thought I’d help your recovery along a little.” He put down the fork and held the mug out to her. “Drink this. I made one for Darby not long ago.” Emma craned her neck to see into the mug. Sloppy green goo stared back at her.

“Yuck. Surely you don’t expect me to drink that?” she said. “That’s plain scary. I don’t think I even have anything that colour.”

Gabe chuckled. “I assure you, you do.” He held it under her nose. “Don’t sniff it, or look at it. Hold your nose and drink. You’ll feel much better after.”

Emma eyed him suspiciously as she took the mug between two hands. “How do I know you’re not poisoning me?” she asked, semi-seriously.

Gabe shrugged a shoulder. “You don’t, but I wouldn’t risk upsetting my sister by bumping off her new friend. It’s a recipe I was given at uni by a roommate. Works every time. Drink up,” he encouraged, pushing her hands toward her face.

Emma frowned at the bilious-looking concoction and sighed.

“It’s gonna make me sick, isn’t it?”

Gabe nodded. “Unfortunately so. Or not, depending on your point of view.”

What the hell. She felt awful now. If Darby was brave enough to drink it, so was she.

She pinched her nose between two fingers and choked it down as fast as possible. A shudder shook her from head to toe as the slimy, acidic taste fired along her tongue and down to her stomach.

“Oh. That was horrid.” Emma looked at him and grabbed at her stomach, the contents somersaulting and churning. All of a sudden she felt worse. “What was in it?”

Gabe smiled reassuringly at her. “It’s all right. It won’t hurt you, but I’d run for the bathroom pretty fast if I were you.”

Emma’s hand went to her mouth as she gagged. She bolted down thehall to the main bathroom, making it just in time before everything in her stomach made an exit.

*

Emma leaned herhead on the toilet seat, her whole body shaking from the effort of being sick. She’d never heaved so much in her life.

She stood up and washed her face, then changed her mind. She stripped and climbed into the shower. The cold water shocked her system awake. She slowly relaxed as the water heated. She stood there under the spray, letting it wash down over her. She’d stopped shaking, and she did feel better.

Plus, her head didn’t hurt as much, which was a bonus.

Emma stepped out of the shower, dripping all over the floor and leaving puddles in her wake. She grabbed the bath towel she’d hung behind the door on a hook.

Emma emerged from the bathroom almost twenty minutes later, fully dressed and annoyed. The incredible scent of bacon and eggs cooking hit her like a hammer as she came through the door, stealing her determination to take him to pieces.

Man, that smells good.

*

Gabe looked upto see Emma standing in the doorway. He tried to gauge her mood, but couldn’t tell what she was thinking. “Feeling better?” he asked and flipped the bacon over in the pan.

“Yes. But you could’ve warned me how strong it was.” She glared at him like she wanted to flay the flesh from his bones.

“I did try.” He looked up again when there was no answer. She was dying to tell him off, but he could tell she was feeling better. She’d lost that pasty-white pallor, and her cheeks were now a healthy pink. Gabe shook his head. “I knew how you were feeling. I’ve been there enough times in the past, myself. I thought it was worth helping you out. Darby didn’t want to drink it either, if that makes you feel better, but she did because she knows it works.” He placed some bacon and scrambled eggs onto a plate and held it out. “Here. Consider this a peace offering.If you eat something really greasy afterward, it makes a huge difference. By mid-afternoon you won’t feel too bad at all.”

Emma sighed and sent him a wry half-smile and took the plate to sit at the built-in breakfast nook. Gabe followed with two steaming mugs and sat down across from her.

“What are you doing here anyway? I thought I’d be the last person you’d want to see,” she said, eyeing him over a mouthful of food.

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